- Date
- December 7, 2022, 16:42 local (Dec 8, 2022, 02:42 UTC)
- Place
- Waimea, HI · Hapuna Heliport
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N130WSEurocopter EC 130 B4
- Defining event
- Approach: Settling with power/vortex ring state
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20221207013479A
- Case key
- 106435
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of helicopter control on approach to land due to entering a vortex ring state condition, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot in the helicopter reported that, he turned final approach at about 100 ft above ground level and the helicopter started settling with power [entered vortex ring state]. The pilot attempted to stop the descent by applying collective and forward cyclic, but the helicopter subsequently landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N130WS
- Reported as
- Eurocopter EC 130 B4
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3735
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 20,394.7
- Engine
- Safrea/Turbomeca Arriel 2B1, 847 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 135
- Operator
- Sunshine Helicopters, Inc, doing business as Air Taxi
- Registered owner
- Sunshine Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 22, 2022 · 74.5 hours before
- Departed
- Kamuela, HI
- Destination
- HAP · Kamuela, HI
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- N/A · Hapuna Heliport (Private)
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 38,596 total · 3,276 in this make and model · 38,546 as pilot in command · 124 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 14 knots, gusting 34
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- National WX Service HI, 2 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 15, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.